Unknown
by CookieMonsterJacketGirlSKE
Summary: Sakura has twins and the father has no idea they exist. R&R Please!
1. What's Best For Konoha

"S-Sakura… You're ruining the flowers, sweetheart."

Sakura came back from space and let go of the bouquet, letting them fall to the ground with a light thud. She didn't want to do this, did she? She couldn't get married to someone she thought she loved, could she?

"Sorry, Tsunade-sama… I just…" Sakura's heart pounded.

She was moments away from walking down the aisle to marry… Uchiha Sasuke. Three years ago, she would have had a heart attack and said yes until her voice box broke but…

Uchiha Sakura…

This is definitely not what she wants now. It's not like she really had a choice though. Sasuke came back, said 'Bare my children!' and she gave him a dumbfounded look he took as a 'Yes.'

"Sakura, are you alright? It's time to go." Tsunade reminded her.

Her sensei gave her an understanding smile. Sakura returned it with a weak but emotionless expression.

She met Kakashi at the bottom of the aisle and wrapped her arm around his. No emotion was given from her but she found most her friends in tears. Her bridesmaids gave off the same aura as she.

Ino was the maid of honor. She looked like she was going to kill Sasuke.

Tenten and Hinata were trying to hide their discomfort but still wore slight frowns.

Temari, however, was her best friend; but Sakura couldn't do that… Temari knew better than anyone else why she couldn't. It would be like betraying him… Sakura was already marrying someone else, she couldn't put his sister in the wedding too.

Before Sakura knew it, she was standing in front of Sasuke. He wore a triumphant smirk. She wanted to wipe it off his face with her fist.

The priest gave his speech. Sakura was too distracted, thinking about a certain redhead to listen until Sasuke said, "I do."

"And do you, Sakura…?" the priest asked turning to her.

Sakura's mouth was suddenly dry. He told her to say yes…

"I-" Oh, no… She's stuttering. Sakura gulps and gains some confidence. "I- I don't. I won't! I'm not marrying you Sasuke." In the adrenaline rush, she threw the bouquet of flowers on the floor.

"W-What did you just say?" Sasuke hissed.

"I said I'm not marrying you!" Sakura responded immediately. She was clenching and unclenching her fists to keep from killing him.

The attendants were silent. Most were in shock but some like the Konoha 12, Kakashi and Tsunade were cheering her on silently.

"Why not?" Sasuke sneered.

He grabbed Sakura's wrist before she could leave the altar.

"Because, Sasuke, I don't love you! I stopped loving you the day…" She hesitated, leading to a long pause.

"The day…?"

"The day I was sent to Suna to train other medic-nins!" Sakura confessed.

"Why that day?" Sasuke asked being caught off guard by the answer.

"Because that's the day Gaara saved me instead of leaving on a bench!" Sakura jerked her arm out of Sasuke's grasp.

Everyone's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Y- You love that monster?" Sasuke whispered in disgust.

Sakura turned red with fury and slapped him. "The only monster I know is you!" Sakura screamed.

While Sasuke was too surprised to stop her from leaving so she through off her high heels and ran for the exit.

~Flashback~

_Sakura walked the streets of Suna in a huff. It was close to midnight and she had already announced her arrival to the Kazekage and was walking to the apartment she'd be staying in._

_One thing that caught her off guard about the Kazekage was that he called her annoying. She lost it! She stormed out of his office and into the streets barely holding onto her sanity._

_Annoying… That's what Sasuke called her too. That's what everyone called her. She was just a waste of space in the shinobi world._

"_Fuck life…" Sakura whispered sharply to herself entering her apartment._

_Without a second thought, she grabbed a kunai out of the pouch on her hip. She began to play with it, running her fingers against it. Should she do it? Tears spilled from her eyes as she stared at the kunai longingly._

"_No one would care… I'm just annoying and weak!" Sakura spat at herself._

_She pressed the tip on her arm, above the wrist._

"_What do you think you're doing Sakura?" a voice growled from behind._

_A sudden spur of sand threw the kunai and lodged it into the wall across the room and wrapped around Sakura protectively. The sand turned her to face an angry Gaara._

_Sakura didn't reply. Tears just came down like waterfalls._

_Gaara just stared at Sakura calculatingly. Eventually he let the sand pull her towards him. He hesitated when she was just centimeters away from him. Sakura was still crying… She was shaking… The emptiness in her eyes didn't belong there… He remembered Sakura's bright, sparkling emerald eyes and wanted to see those eyes again. Gaara let the sand let her go and expected her to run._

_Instead, she crashed her body against his in a cold rack of sobs. They stood there for what felt like hours in silence; Sakura, sniffling into his chest and Gaara, contemplating on what to do._

_When Gaara finally put a hand on her arm to try and comfort her she fell limp against him. She was asleep…?_

_Gaara scooped her up bridal style and took her to her room. He set her on her bed and moved to leave. He stood there for a while trying to convince himself to leave but… He couldn't._

_Gaara sighed, sitting down on the floor beside her bed. He meditated until Sakura woke up a few hours later. It was far past midnight._

"_G-Gaara?"_

_Gaara's eyes snapped open to look at her. He gave her a sharp, disapproving look._

"_Don't do that again…"_

"_I-I'm sorry…" Sakura mumbled sitting up. She felt Gaara pull her down into him. She was literally curled up in his lap._

_Gaara leaned down to see her and crashed his lips into hers. Sakura responded immediately. It brought that spark back into her eyes._

_About six months later, Sakura came into the Kazekage's office, pissed as all get out._

_Gaara glanced up at the pinkette from his paperwork, "Sakura, I wasn't expecting you."_

_Sakura frowned, "Sasuke's back."_

"_Hn, and?" The same cold exterior._

"_He asked me to marry him." She added, hoping to get some hint of anger or jealousy._

_Gaara's inner set itself on fire but he remained emotionless._

"_Then marry him." He responded coldly._

_Sakura froze. "Excuse me?"_

"_If he asked you to marry him, marry him." He grunted not even looking up at her._

"_You want me to marry him?" Sakura couldn't believe it…_

_No! "A kunoichi must do whatever is best for her village." Gaara replied hiding his anger._

_Sakura gasped and ran out. Her village didn't care whether she married Sasuke or not. The village elders were the ones who called for the Uchiha massacre in the first place! The village elders had made it known they intended on sending her to Suna to marry Gaara! But, when Sasuke came back to Konoha, no one was going to deny him. Gaara had to stop himself from going after her. That was the last time he saw Haruno Sakura._

~End Flashback~

Sakura gasped for air when she finally stopped running. Villagers were staring at her. The bride without a groom. The woman who left the S-Class missing-nin-gone-good for the unrequited love of a 'monster'… Worst of all, Sakura was pregnant and Gaara was the father.


	2. Five Years Later

Five Years Later

Sakura eventually told Tsunade about her pregnancy. When Tsunade asked who the father was, Sakura asked her to not tell him. The Hokage reluctantly agreed to Sakura's request.

Now, Sakura had twins, Takeshi and Aiko.

Takeshi had dark brown hair like both of his grandfathers and had jade eyes. He bore Gaara's kanji symbol on his left wrist. He was already training jutsu with his sister and the other Konoha Twelve's kids. Mainly Neji and Tenten's son and daughter, Hideo and Eiko.

Aiko had blood red hair with a white streak in the front. Yes, it was all natural! Her eyes matched Sakura's emerald ones. She bore Gaara's Kanji symbol on her right wrist.

Aiko was much shier than Takeshi and colder. Takeshi was not talkative by any means but people gravitated to him for one reason or another.

"Mama!" Aiko cried out running inside.

Sakura was busy cooking when she heard her daughter crying. She turned and tossed her up in her arms. Aiko buried her face in her mother's shoulder in tears.

"What's wrong, Aiko? Did something happen?" Sakura asked worried.

"Hideo said he hates me because I'm so shy… Mama, why am I so shy? Why don't people like me?" The little five-year old had perfect grammar except when she was nervous.

"Hideo's just a jerk! He doesn't hate you for being shy; he just doesn't know how to react to it yet. Remember Naruto? When we were growing up, people were didn't like him very much because he was special. You, Aiko, are special!" Sakura kissed her nose.

"But how?"

"Do you see very many kids who can control sand because I don't? You're unique, baby! I love you for it and so does Takeshi and Hideo, even if he doesn't know it yet!" Sakura kissed her daughter's forehead and put her down.

"I love you too, Mama! I'm going to go find Takeshi now!"

"Come home before sunset!" Sakura called out smiling to herself. Who knew after heartbreak there was such joy?

Takeshi was searching frantically for his sister. He hadn't seen her anywhere since the six-year old, Hideo, said he hated her.

Such odd behavior for a five and six year old…Tenten thought watching the two converse. She knew Aiko went home to Sakura because Hideo disappeared into the house after their conversation.

"Tenten-sempai! Have you seen Aiko-chan?" Takeshi asked almost in tears.

Tenten chuckled at how protective he was of his sister. Eiko was looking for Aiko as well.

"Takeshi! Eiko! I'm over here!" Aiko came running out of the bushes from the direction of their house.

"Where'd you go?" Takeshi cried throwing his arms in the air.

Aiko and Eiko stood side by side and smiled at each other.

"I wanted to talk to Mama for a minute!"

Takeshi put his arms down and smirked. "Oh! Okay! Just tell me next time! We were looking for ya!"

Eiko nodded and giggled, "You had us worried Aiko-chan!"

Eiko, five like Takeshi and Aiko, had her father's eyes and her mother's hair. She also had her mother's oriental style of dress. Hideo looked just like Neji but with short hair and was blind in one eye. He covered it with his bangs and wore a scarf everywhere.

"Sorry! Where's Hideo? I wanna finish training…"

"He went inside after you left…" Eiko answered pointing to their back door.

"Tenten-sempai, m-may I- I go find H-Hideo, please?" Aiko asked approaching the jounin.

Tenten gave her a sweet smile, "Of course!"

"Th-Thank you!" Aiko bowed and ran inside.

"H-Hideo-kun?" Aiko called out from the main entrance.

"Hn?" The boy appeared a few seconds later, "What do you want?"

"I-I want to-to finish training!"

Hideo crossed his arms and stuck his nose up at her. "I don't wanna!"

"Then can we play?" Aiko asked playing with her fingers.

Hideo watched her carefully and frowned. He blushed because he wasn;t sure what to say.

"Your eyes are too green!" Hideo pointed out none too gently, finger and all.

"W-Why do you-you make f-fun of m-me, Hideo-kun?" Aiko asked tears were filling her eyes again.

"I d-didn't say i-it was ugly…" Hideo shouted when a tear fell. The small blush deepened

"Y-You like my eyes?" Aiko asked, surprised at the sudden confession.

Hideo just looked at her, "Hn, can you show me that sand trick?"

Aiko was a thrilled little redhead. "Yeah! Sure! Come on!"

They ran outside to the sand box on the far side of the yard.

Takeshi and Eiko practiced Taijutsu all day. Tenten had them exercising and punching trees until close to sundown.

Takeshi and Aiko heard Sakura's whistle to get them to come inside and bid their farewells to the Hyuuga family.

Tenten smiled at Hideo, "Aiko is so adorable, isn't she Hideo?"

Eiko giggled alongside her mother.

The six-year old blushed mad hard and groaned, "Moomm!"

"So how was training today, children?" Sakura asked setting food on their plates.

"Thank you Mama!" They said before answering her question.

Takeshi began, "We practiced our Taijutsu today because Tenten-sempai said we should concentrate on endurance and accuracy before going into Ninjutsu and Genjutsu."

"How was that?"

Takeshi sighed dramatically, "Tiring! Aiko wouldn't know… She practiced for the first half and she and Hideo had a fight and then she came back and they played in the sand box together."

Takeshi smirked at his shy sister, obviously teasing her. Aiko blushed.

"Oh, really? How was that, Aiko?"

"H-He asked i-if I would sh-show him my s-sand t-technique… And since Sensei was th-there, I agr-agreed."

"Thank you for making sure there was adult supervision! That was very responsible, Aiko!"

Aiko blushed again, "H-He said I h-had pretty ey-eyes…"

Sakura almost melted into her chair. These kids are so CUTE!

"That was very nice of Hideo!" Sakura smiled warmly.

Takeshi frowned; he was very protective of his sister.

Sakura let them stay up a little while longer to read a story and then it was off to bed. Sakura loved her children so much! Soon they would begin at the academy and she would continue her job as Tsunade's assistant.


	3. Graduation

The years passed by until Takeshi and Aiko graduated from the ninja academy. The problem was that they were placed on separate teams. Takeshi was placed with Hiro, Kiba's son, and Ichiko, Naruto and Hinata's daughter. Aiko was on the same team as Hideo and Shinya, Ino's son.

"Are you kidding me? Why can't I be on the same team as my sister?" Takeshi asked sort of to himself.

Iruka growled, "Rules are rules Haruno! You will meet your teachers shortly!"

Aiko didn't like not being on the same team as Takeshi but they both knew this was coming. Putting them on the same team would do neither of them any good. When Iruka announced she was on the same team as Hideo, she shrunk in her seat, they hadn't spoken since she was eight and he was nine… He gave her the cold shoulder.

Takeshi's team was Team 3 and Yuhi Kurenai was their official Sensei. Aiko's team was Team 6, Uchiha Sasuke was their Sensei.

~With Team 3~

"Hello, new students. Since today is the first day, we're going to begin with introductions."

The three students shrugged.

"Okay, I'll go first, my name is Yuhi Kurenai. I taught Hiro's father when he was a Genin and Chunin. I also taught Ichiko's mother on the same team. I specialize in Genjutsu, my favorite things are shochu, vodka and takowasa. I hate cake! Next… You." Kurenai pointed to Takeshi.

"My name is Haruno Takeshi. I have a twin named Haruno Aiko and my mother is Haruno Sakura, the best medic-nin in the land and the Godaime's assistant. My goal is to one day surpass all other ninja like Uzumaki Naruto, who was on Team 7 with my mother. My second goal is to find my father with my sister. I like rain because I specialize in water jutsu. I hate snakes and raccoons."

Kurenai smirked, "Good job! Ichiko."

"My name is Uzumaki Ichiko…"

Takeshi jumped from his seat and tackled her to the ground.

"Ichiko!"

~Team 6~

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, "Introductions. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I am the last Uchiha. I hold the sharingan. I don't like many things and I hate a lot of things like the color pink. You."

Aiko thought he pointed at her but he didn't. He pointed at Shinya.

"My name is Yamanaka Shinya. I like art and sculpting. I love explosions, yeah! I have a mouth on my hand that spits out clay every once in a while but it doesn't work all of the time… I don't like bitter food or dogs… I'm a cat person like my mom."

Sasuke stared at him long and hard. He snorted. Who knew Ino would go for a member of the Akatsuki! Deidara at that…

"You, Hyuuga."

"Hyuuga Hideo. I hold the byakugan but I'm blind in one eye. I don't have any goals. I let destiny take me where it wants me to go. I like the sand and weapons. I hate loud people."

"Neji and Tenten's kid, right? You should be somewhat useful."

Sasuke received a hard glare but he ignored it. The Uchiha turned to Aiko. Saved the worst for last. What are the odds that Iruka would actually let her be on my team. "Haruno, speak."

Aiko frowned. "My name is Haruno Aiko. I have a twin, Haruno Takeshi. You already know my mother, Haruno Sakura, since you were on the same team and all and she left you at the altar…"

Sasuke grunted at his new student. She knows how to get under someone's skin already.

Aiko could really be a bitch when she wanted to be. She got it from her mother.

"I can control sand. I have two goals. One, to find my father with Takeshi and second, prove to everyone who thinks I'm weak that I'm not. I know many different medical skills already. I like pandas and language. I hate closed-minded people and ignorant pricks!" Aiko scrunched her face at her new sensei.

Sasuke smirked, "I'm going to train you until you break."

Aiko exchanged looks with her new team mates and they all smirked. "Bring it, Uchiha!" They all said in unison.

"You put Aiko with whom?" Sakura screamed at Iruka.

Iruka flinched at the pinkette.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Why would you do that?"

"He requested her to be on his team."

Sakura looked at her old friends completely dumbfounded, "Can you even do that?"

"This was an exception… Sakura."

"And why is that? You better give me a damn good reason before I dismember you and donate your body parts to the hospital!"

"Aiko… Asked for him too."

Sakura blinked. "She what?"

"They asked for each other. Aiko felt that Sasuke was the only Sensei that would fit her needs and she was right."

"So you set her up with the man I left at the altar and slapped in the face in front of the entire village?"

"Yes, Aiko pointed that out quite thoroughly already, Haruno." Sasuke's voice appeared behind her.

Iruka silently made his leave now that the attention was switched.

Shy Aiko did that? Sakura knew she wasn't shy anymore and it made sense… She was very cold to certain people unlike her brother.

"Good. Train her well. If I find out your slacking up on her, I'll kick your ass, Uchiha."

Sasuke looked at her for a long moment and blinked. He pulled up his sleeve to show bruises.

"Aiko, Hideo and Shinya work perfectly together. I let them almost kick my ass but they need more work."

Kurenai came in and sat next to Sakura.

"Your son's a handful, Sakura…"

Sakura grinned, "That's Takeshi for you! He has violent side you have to look out for; it pops up out of nowhere…"

"When Ichiko introduced herself, he almost gave the poor girl a heart attack!"

"Yeah… He's had a crush on her since they were little."

Kurenai nodded, "Aa, makes sense, I should get going now. I'll see you around."

Sakura waved goodbye.

"How long are you going to hide it?"

"Hide what?"

"Who their father is."

Sakura frowned, "I've tried to tell them, Uchiha, but they said it's one of their goals to find him on their own, without my help."

"Was it worth it?" Sasuke asked taking a swig of pure sake.

"Yes." Sakura choked out.

"Have you even spoken to him?"

"No… I haven't spoken to him since a week before we almost got married. Since I've been with Tsunade, though, I see him more than a few times a year…"

"Does he know?"

"I don't think so… Tsunade made special orders for no one to tell him. If he wants to know, he'll figure it out or the twins will go after him when they get old enough." Gaara had no idea she bore his children.

"The chunin exams?" Sasuke semi-asked. Gaara, being the Kazekage would be there and given their performance, the new genin would definitely be there next year.

"We'll see."


	4. Exams

A year had already past and it was time for the finals of the chunin exams. All of Team 6 of course made it through. Takeshi had as well. The battles would be:

_Haruno Takeshi vs. Oro Hibiko_

_Hyuuga Hideo vs. Mei Amami_

_Yamanaka Shinya vs. Ming Arata_

_Haruno Aiko vs. Nara Yuri_

Gaara was present to the exams. It was required for all Kages to attend the exams. He had been vaguely searching for a mop of pink hair since he arrived and he finally found her. She seemed extremely interested in the battle that was about to begin.

"Haruno Takeshi and Oro Hibiko, come to the center field immediately!"

Haruno? Maybe her nephew or something. Gaara kept close focus on the boy. He couldn't see very well since it was so far away but he tried.

"Hi, I'm Hibiko! Nice to meet you!" Hibiko stretched out his hand to Takeshi.

Takeshi stared at the hand and took it eventually. "Takeshi."

The bell rang and Takeshi jumped high and far into a tree at the edge of the stadium.

Hibiko made a few hand signs but they proved ineffective when Takeshi walked out unhurt. He wore a triumphant smirk and began to attack.

"Seven Seas of Ice Jutsu!" Waves of water came crashing down on the other ninja and it suddenly became cold. Extremely cold. The water immediately, leaving Hibiko in a thin sheet of ice.

So that's what he's been working on! Sakura thought approvingly. She was standing beside Tsunade.

Takeshi broke the ice and it vanished. Hibiko was knocked out on the spot.

"Winner: Haruno Takeshi!"

Takeshi raised his fist to the audience in triumphant and they cheered for him. Sakura was going crazy in the stands with Tsunade.

"He won! Kami, Tsunade-sama! He won!"

Tsunade nodded approvingly.

Next was Hideo.

"Hyuuga Hideo and Mei Amami…"

Hideo wondered why the girl was even in this far. The only thing she had going for her were her looks. She tried to surprise him with a kiss but he deflected her efforts and defeated her with ease.

"Winner: Hyuuga Hideo!"

Hideo went to the entrance from where he came from and was practically tackled by his team mates. His parents were standing to the side giving him looks of approval and pride.

"Good job, Hyuuga." Sasuke grunted approvingly.

Hideo smirked, "Good luck, Shinya!" He turned to Aiko, "Don't forget the pact! Okay, pretty eyes?"

He hadn't called her that since they were five… Aiko hugged him again, "Really, you did very well, Hideo! And I won't!"

"Yamanaka Shinya vs. Ming Arata…"

Sakura's emerald eyes sparked. Ino mentioned to her that Deidara was most likely going to be in the crowd, hidden. She didn't even know Deidara knew about Shinya but he had a trait that's kind of hard to come by. Shinya had both the Mind Transfer Jutsu and hands that spit out explosive clay…

Watching Shinya's battle filled Ino with pride. He used his explosive clay to its fullest and ended the battle with a bang! Somewhere in the stadium, Deidara was cheering his son on too.

Last was Aiko…

"The final battle: Haruno Aiko vs Nara Yuri"

Gaara was astonished at Aiko. She had red hair just like him but with a white stripe in front. Was that natural? She looked like him…

The bell rang and the battle began. Yuri was straight forward and came at her from every angle he could but no matter what angle he came from, he never touched her once. She smiled a sickly sweet smile when he gave up and moved back. No one knew how strong she really was.

He surveyed the area for shadows and smirked. He made a few hand signs and almost had her. Aiko jumped up and kicked him hard, throwing multiple shuriken and kunai his way. He managed to dodge most of them. She placed her feet on the ground again, unmoving. Aiko was waiting for Yuri to do his shadow jutsu.

"Sand Coffin!" She yelled right before she was overcome by his shadow.

Sand came from all sides, almost engulfing Yuri.

"If it's suffocating me, it's suffocating you!" He pointed out trying to breathe.

"That's right but I can stand it! Now release me before my sand kills us both!" Aiko replied not looking hurt at all.

Yuri didn't want to but his need for air was growing quickly. He finally released the shadow jutsu almost falling to the ground.

"Cool trick, is that something you learned in Pre-K, freak?"

Gaara heard this from his nephew and it stung. He scowled.

Aiko scowled and moved towards him.

"Why can't I move?" He yelled trashing around frantically.

"Look down." Aiko said only centimeters away from his face.

Yuri was caught off guard though; she was gorgeous in her own way. Yuri looked down and saw sand covering his feet. He looked back up and was met by her fist to his face. The sand let go and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"That's something I learned at four." Aiko muttered towards him with a smirk.

"Winner: Haruno Aiko!"

Everyone cheered. Takeshi ran out to the field and tackled his sister to the ground.

"We're chunin, Aiko! Can you believe it?" Takeshi laughed.

Aiko's team mates followed after Takeshi. They stood in the middle of the arena holding hands and shouting in victory. The crowd was still cheering. Sakura had to resist the urge to jump down there with them.

"They're chunin, next thing you know, they'll be ANBU…" Sakura said to Tsunade.

"Sakura," a husky voice called to her from behind.

Sakura jumped. Oh dear Kami, not now.

Gaara was a few feet behind her. His heart began to oddly pound.

"Kazekage-sama. It's nice to see you. If you don't mind, I need to congratulate my ex-teammate, his students and Takeshi for the victory…" Sakura took the plunge which meant any way out of there.

"Excuse me, Godaime!" Sakura muttered jumping down to the center hugging the new chunin.

Gaara didn't like the name she referred to him as. Who could blame him? They hadn't spoken in thirteen years.

Gaara frowned, "Whose kids are those, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade frowned, "Sakura took them in eight months after she left Sasuke at the altar. Other than that, it's none of your business, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara suddenly felt his stomach drop. She didn't marry him after all…


	5. Aiko Finds Out

_A/N: A Short Chapter but it's vital! I don't mean to concentrate on Aiko more than Takeshi but it's hard not to... _ I wanted to do a mini-chapter on Gaara's thoughts but you'll see them in the next chapter! (:_

* * *

Three Years Later

"I want to know who he is Takeshi! Why are we putting it off?" Aiko asked annoyed with her brother's persistence.

"I do too but we need to concentrate on training first!" Takeshi argued.

Sakura sighed at her children. "Why don't you just let me tell you who your father is?"

Takeshi scowled, "No!"

Aiko's grip on her raccoon Hideo had given her almost ten years ago grew tighter, she wanted to know…

Sakura frowned at her son. "Excuse me?"

Takeshi's scowl deepened, "I said no!"

"Watch who you're talking to, Takeshi." Sakura warned.

Takeshi went to retort but Aiko covered his mouth with her hand.

"Shut up!" Aiko yelled, "What's gotten into you, Takeshi?"

She let him go and he pushed her backwards into the cement wall a little too hard. Aiko became dizzy and fell against it.

Sakura gasped, "Aiko!" She clenched her fists at her son, "Go meet your team for your mission."

Takeshi could tell by the tone of her voice that he messed up. "I'm-"

"I said go!" Sakura yelled pointing at the door.

Takeshi gulped and went.

Aiko held her head in her hands… She hit the wall hard! Her mother crouched in front of her.

"Are you alright?"

"Don't be mad at Takeshi…" Aiko whispered.

Sakura gave her daughter a small smile; they were both so much like their father.

"I'm not mad at Takeshi. When your father got upset like this, the only thing that made him stop was for someone to stand up and say so."

The thought of Gaara made tears come down Sakura's cheeks. Aiko watched her mother cry in shock.

Why is Mama crying? Does she miss him?

"D-Do y-you miss h-him?" Aiko asked poking her mother's forehead as a sign of affection.

Sakura nodded, "Very much, Aiko…"

"Can you tell me who he is? I'm tired of waiting for Takeshi."

"Of course, Sabaku no Gaara-"

Their conversation was cut off when Hideo knocked on the door.

Sakura answered it.

"Hello, Hideo, how may I help you?"

"Is Aiko home? We have a mission."

"Aiko! Hideo's at the door!" Sakura called to her daughter, "Come on in."

Hideo nodded and sat on the sofa in the living room. Aiko came in a few minutes later, fully dress for the mission.

"Hey, Hideo-kun!" Aiko greeted him.

Hideo just nodded, standing from his seat. Aiko gave her mother a hug before they left.

Aiko and Hideo always walked together in silence, they were to meet Sasuke and Shinya at the entrance gates. Hideo could tell something was bothering Aiko. They met their sensei and friend in a matter of minutes.

"You ready?" Sasuke asked.

"Where are we going sensei? You said you'd tell us when Hideo and Aiko got here, yeah!" Shinya whined.

"We're going to retrieve some scrolls from Suna." Sasuke grunted.

His students nodded.

"It'll take a few days for us to get there so I'll explain things on the way there."

A few hours later, it was sundown. They stopped at a clearing to set up camp.

"Aiko-chan, is something bothering you?" Shinya asked bringing wood to the fire they started.

Aiko nodded, "Yes, Shinya-san."

"What's up?"

Aiko hesitate, watching Sasuke carefully. She remembered how he said emotions were futile and weak.

Sasuke met her eyes and nodded, "Go ahead."

"My mother told me who my father was before I left."

Sasuke smirked while Hideo and Shinya nodded. Shinya still hadn't met his father…

"Sasuke-sensei, who is Sabaku no Gaara?" Aiko knew he would know.

"Gaara is the fifth Kazekage of Suna. That mark on you wrist, the kanji, is on his forehead. Your hair's the same without the white."

"What's he like?" She had that innocent spark in her eyes that made Sasuke fall in love with her mother.

"Just like you. Strong but doesn't know much about emotion. His sand protects him like it does you."

"He controls sand?"

"Hn," Sasuke nodded at his student, "He was a jinchuriki. Everyone thought he was a monster until he fell in love with your mother," Sasuke paused and glanced up at Aiko, "They were to be married until he told her to marry me."


	6. Tension And Jealousy

Suna was hot! Really hot! Aiko liked it that way. Unlike Takeshi, she enjoyed the dry weather, especially heat. They arrived at the Kazekage tower shortly after arrival.

"Takeshi? What are you doing here?" Aiko saw her brother in the lobby.

He was leaning against the wall, waiting. Ichiko, Hiro and Kurenai were there too.

"Waiting for you Aiko! Let's go!" He pushed his sister up the stairs, "Today's the day…"

Gaara was sitting at his desk, going between sleep and the alertness of being awake. He heard a knock on his door.

"Hn, come in."

It was his assistant, "Kazekage-sama, you have visitors." She announced.

Gaara took a long drink of his coffee to wake up a little. "Hn."

He waited a few seconds before looking up at two leaf ninja that looked like him.

"Hey, Dad." Takeshi spat, leaning on the door frame with a mischievous smirk. He had his eyes…

Aiko folded her arms and stared at the man in front of her, frowning. She had his hair…

Gaara stared back at them in confusion. Dad? Weren't those Sakura's- Oh… He stood from his seat.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

Oh Kami…

Aiko raised her wrist to show the kanji to Gaara and Gaara went pale.

"You're the kids from the Chunin exams… You're my kids?"

They nodded.

Gaara's sand approached them cautiously and Aiko watched it. It touched both of their cheeks and flowed to their fingers.

"You're-"

Aiko hugged her father before he could finish. Gaara was taken by surprise. The last person who did that was Sakura… He hugged her back. Takeshi stood still and watched the seen with a small smile.

Aiko let go and stared at her father, "Mama misses you."

Gaara frowned, "I regret not going after her."

Not a day went by he didn't think about Sakura or letting her go. That was almost fifteen years ago.

"Come see her." Takeshi said insisting. He wanted his mom to be happy again. They both saw passed her fake smile and heard her silent cries at night.

"I will once my work in here is caught up. I'm not allowed to leave until then."

"Oh… We're supposed to pick up some scrolls while we're here, too." Aiko remembered.

Gaara handed the kids the scrolls and nodded.

"What rank are you, now?" Gaara asked. They were his kids! He had to ask questions, right? He wondered why they didn't hate him…

"ANBU." Takeshi answered taking out his wolf mask.

Aiko nodded and took out her Panda mask.

"Our teams are downstairs."

Gaara shook his head, "You may come in now. They've been there the entire time."

He sensed their presence a long time ago. The rest of Team Three and Team Six walked in standing by their respective twin.

"Dad, this is Yuhi Kurenai-sensei, Uzumaki Ichiko and Inuzuka Hiro. We've been a team since Academy graduation." Takeshi made introductions.

Gaara shook their hands and said to Ichiko, "Please, give my regards to Naruto."

Ichiko nodded quickly, "Hai, Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara turned to Aiko's team and met Sasuke's eyes.

"Papa, this is Uchiha Sasuke-sensei, Yamanaka Shinya and Hyuuga Hideo. We have also been together since the graduation." Aiko's eyes brightened when she said the Hyuuga boy's name. She planted herself right beside him. The boy seemed just as fond as her as she did him.

"Uchiha, how long has it been? Twenty years? I see you've succumbed to being a teacher now. Do they not let Ex-S-Class missing-nin breed?" Gaara grunted. The tension was thick between the two stoic men.

Sasuke smirked, "Sounds about right. How's your love life?"

All of Team Three choked on air; they weren't used to such cruel remarks.

"It was perfect until you came in. At least I have kids I can be proud of." Gaara replied emotionless as ever. It was obvious he had a major distaste for Sasuke.

The rest of the group just watched.

"You just met them five minutes ago."

"If Sakura married you, I would have never met them."

Aiko gasped. Hideo let her hide herself in his scarf. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder as to protect her from their words.

"How dare you!" Sasuke sneered; about to say something back.

"Enough!" Kurenai demanded, being the eldest person in the room.

Sasuke and Gaara shut their mouths and Aiko came out of hiding. She was crying. Takeshi glared at them both.

Sasuke snorted, "Aiko single-handedly defeated two rogue ninja with her sand controlling ability on our first mission."

"Takeshi out ran the fastest ninja's in the region and excels in Taijutsu." Kurenai added.

"I'm proud of you both… But, I have a lot of work to do before I can go to Konoha so please…"

The teams left, leaving Takeshi and Aiko behind once more.

"Please, don't take too long, Papa…" Aiko said bowing to him. Takeshi nodded bowing as well.

"I've waited sixteen years; I won't let your mother wait any longer." Gaara promised. He had to ask though, "Why don't you hate me?"

They both looked at each other and smiled warmly at Gaara.

"Mom said not to hate you. She said you were only thinking of what was best for the village. There's no point in hating someone for hurting someone you love if the person you love still loves them. But, if I do say so myself though, I wanted to kick your ass every time Mom mentioned you and cried." Takeshi said for the both of them.

The twins said their goodbyes and left their father again.

"Takeshi…"

"Hai?"

"How did you know who Papa was?"

"I heard you ask mom and I finally just gave up and accepted it…"

"Thank you… I never would have been able to face him without you."

Takeshi gave his sister his signature grin, "Anytime, sis!"

Sakura sat in Tsunade's office with her head in her hands.

"It's been a week… Have you heard from them yet?"

Tsunade took a swig of her sake and rolled her eyes at her apprentice.

"They should be home tonight! Don't worry about them, Sakura! Everything is going to be fine."

"I'm not worried about their safety. They're all more than capable of taking down anyone but…" Sakura hesitated, trying to breathe.

Sakura hadn't slept in days. She hadn't been able to sleep well in years…

"They met Gaara." Tsunade said looking at some paperwork, "I just got the message this morning."

Sakura's eyes widened. She knew it would have happened sooner or later but that could have meant two things. He rejected them or accepted Aiko and Takeshi. Sakura knew Gaara well enough to know what his reaction would be but it still scared the hell out of her.

"Mom?" Sakura heard her son's voice from the doorway.

She jumped up from her seat and embraced him. "How was the mission?"

Takeshi smiled at his mother sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sure you already know…"

Sakura's mouth formed a straight line. "No, I don't."

Takeshi blinked at his mother. "Oh, well… I'll tell you when I get home! Aiko's team is still travelling."

"Alright, I'll be waiting then." Sakura made her leave, smiling at Kurenai, Ichiko and Hiro.


	7. Detour

Aiko ran. She ran as fast as her feet could take her. She was no comparison to her brother but her brother didn't carry sand on his back either. They set up camp already so they could rest but Sasuke had gone off in the woods. Two mysterious men had appeared and took Shinya away. Aiko and Hideo tried to stop them but no matter what they did, the men were able to deflect everything they threw.

"Sasuke-sensei!" Aiko yelled when she finally spotted him.

"Hn? Aiko, what do you want?" Sasuke grunted turning around to see his student.

"They took Shinya!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. She was pissed! She and Hideo couldn't save him…

Sasuke flinched and his face scrunched up in anger, "Who?"

"Deidara and Kisame of the Akatsuki. They just came, knocked Shinya out and took him… We tried everything to get him back but nothing worked!"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "Where's Hideo?"

"Watching the camp while I find you…"

"Let's go!" Sasuke nodded as they jumped back into the trees toward the camp.

"Hideo!" Sasuke sneered as they reached the camp.

"Sensei! They went that way!" Hideo pointed in the direction of the river.

Sasuke gave a slight nod. "You two stay here. The last thing we need is another being taken. If anyone comes, you know what to do."

"Hai!" The two ANBU nodded.

Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Aiko and Hideo were fuming… "How could we let this happen, Hideo-kun?"

"It's not our fault. Kisame has been dead for years… We wouldn't have 'killed' him anyway and there was no way Deidara would let Shinya go…"

"Wait until Ino-san finds out…"

Hideo visibly flinched at the thought of the older blonde rampaging the village. It would be the beginning of the fifth shinobi world war.

"She'd have Sasuke and Deidara's head on a platter…"

Aiko nodded. There was a long comfortable silence and Aiko began to play with her sand.

"Is now really the time to play with your sand, Aiko-chan?"

"At least it's out." Aiko shrugged molding an animal that looked strangely like Shukaku.

"Hideo! Aiko! Battle stances now!" Sasuke yelled from not so far away.

They both jumped up and were ready to perform hand signs with their kunai in tow. Sasuke soon came into the clearing with Shinya on his back, knocked out cold.

Deidara appeared soon after, alone.

"Give him back, Uchiha!" Deidara ordered.

Sasuke scowled, "No!" He side glanced at his former students and they understood.

Aiko pushed her hand slightly and sand rushed at Deidara, pinning him to the tree. Hideo held a kunai to his throat.

Deidara smirked, "You can't kill me, yeah!"

"And why not?" Hideo sneered.

"He will never forgive you, un!" Deidara nodded towards Shinya.

Sasuke watched the older man calculatingly.

"Why didn't you just go to Konoha? They would have arranged a visit of some sort."

"Because his- It's none of your business!" Deidara yelled becoming flushed.

Aiko smirked knowingly, "You haven't seen Ino-san in how long? Boy, I'm sure she's pissed about that! You know, since she risked everything to be with you." She was mocking Deidara but what she said was true.

Ino waited for years for Deidara to come around but he never did. If he was, it was to watch Shinya but never see her.

"Shut up, you little brat! You have no idea what you're talking about, yeah!"

Hideo pressed the kunai to his throat; Deidara hit a nerve.

"Watch who you're talking to." Hideo's voice was much more threatening than his words.

"If you want to see Shinya-chan, you have to come to the village with us. We don't know how Ino-san will react but if you lo- care for either of them, you'll come with us." Aiko proposed.

She glanced back at Sasuke for approval and he furrowed his eyebrows in agreement.

Deidara sighed. "Fine! But I will not go to prison!"

Aiko's sand covered Deidara's hands. "We can't have you blowing us up…"

Deidara stared into her emerald eyes for a long time and realized who she was.

"You're the Kazekage's daughter, yeah!"

Aiko gave no reply.

"You know we killed him once… Not because we didn't like him or anything but he had Shukaku so we extracted him from him and killed him."

Aiko ignored him. Hideo, who was walking beside her, gave Aiko a semi-concerned look.

"You mother helped save him, you know, hm? She killed my best friend too, Sasori-danna, un…"

"Would you shut up? We're almost to the village." Sasuke spat annoyed.

Deidara visibly shuttered, he was so close to his love… It had been so long that he forgot what it was like to be so close to the love of his life… He braced himself for her reaction. When it came down to it, Pain had nothing on an angry Ino Yamanaka.


	8. Two Blondes

"Tsunade-sama, we have a surprise for you!" Sasuke drawled pushing Deidara into the Hokage's office.

Time literally froze when the three women in the room turned around. Ino was one of them.

"An Akatsuki member?" Tsunade stated in a question.

Ino saw Shinya still on Sasuke's back and audibly gasped. She pushed through the ANBU ninja to her son. Sasuke put him in a chair beside the door.

"Shinya? Shinya, can you hear me?"

Shinya's fingers moved a little and Ino sighed in relief. She turned to Deidara, holding back tears and slapped him as hard as she could.

"How could you?" Ino asked, yelling, "What did I do to you that would make you try to kidnap our son? Could you not just stay here? Or is that too much ask?"

Everything was silent. The tension was thicker than it had ever been. Deidara didn't reply.

Ino tried hard to glare at him; she tried so hard to hate him. Shinya was awoken by the sharp sound the slap had made. Ino fell to her knees in sobs and Deidara fell to his knees with her. Shinya tried to go to his mother but Sasuke stopped him.

"You're still beautiful, yeah…" He whispered in her ear.

Ino was shaking until Deidara hugged her. She calmed down quickly when they touched.

Deidara looked up at Tsunade in defeat, "Please, Godaime, I will do anything you tell me to do. Please just let me make up to Shinya and Ino for my absence…"

Tsunade watched the two blondes and sighed, "You're a missing-nin but… You've already made up for your offenses against Konohagakure. Sasuke killed you but, you were brought back to life. You must swear your allegiance to Konohagakure and to me."

"Of course." Deidara nodded.

"Two years of community service and probation."

Deidara tightened his hold on Ino and nodded. Ino came back to her senses and pushed him away.

"I need to take Shinya home…"

Shinya raised an eyebrow at his mother, "I can take myself home, mother, yeah! I'll be fine. You guys catch up, okay?"

Ino cursed how sweet Shinya could be.

"Okay, Shinya."

Shinya grinned and turned to his team mates, "I'll see you guys later!"

He left.

Deidara picked himself and Ino up off the floor and Ino frowned at him and punched his arm hard, "You're grounded, asshole."

Deidara blinked at her for a second. Grounded? Dammit she punches hard! Whatever… As long I get to be with her, I'm fine.

"I'm okay with that, un…"

Ino's hard glare melted into a soft smile, "Come on, and let's get you cleaned up."

Deidara followed her out of the office with his hand in hers.

There was a long silence afterwards.

"Well… Wasn't that sweet?" Sakura said fondly.

Aiko agreed with her mother and shared a look with Hideo.

Sasuke remembered the scrolls and took them out of his bag handing them to Tsunade.

"Thank you. You all may leave."

Everyone did as she was told; only leaving Sakura, Sasuke and herself.

"May I speak with you in private, Sakura?"

"Hai," Sakura followed Sasuke out into the hallway, "What is it?"

"If Gaara comes here and asks you to go to Suna, would you go?" Sasuke showed no emotion when he asked.

Sakura thought about it, "It depends on Aiko and Takeshi. They're my life now…"

"Aiko and Takeshi would want you to go and be happy. I think so too, Sakura. But don't expect them to go with you…"

The situation was none of his business but being the man who caused Sakura the most pain, he wanted her to live the rest of her life as happily as possible.

"We'll see when the time comes, Sasuke… Now, why don't we go meet Naruto and the others for some ramen like old times?" Sakura smiled.

Sasuke smirked, "Hn."

All of Konoha Twelve came to eat at Ichiraku Ramen for the first time in several months. Sakura and Sasuke were the last to arrive but still claimed their rightful seats at the counter with the now grown Naruto Uzumaki.

The blonde still had his happy-go-lucky attitude. Even with four children!

"Sakura-chan! Teme! Long time no see!" Naruto grinned at them.

"Hey Naruto!"

"Are you gonna make it to the festival this year, Sakura?" It was Tenten who asked.

She had been sitting with her husband of sixteen years at a booth with Lee and his 'lucky' wife.

"Actually, I think so! Tsunade would have a fit if I sat out on another one…"

"Good, because Hinata, Ino and I found the prettiest kimono for you if you want to try it!"

Sakura's eye sparkled at her friends' good deed. "Of course I will! Thanks you guys!"


	9. Loving Sacrifices And Misunderstandings

Takeshi, Aiko and the rest of the younger ANBU were walking around the village, looking for something to do.

Takeshi spotted the theatre and jumped.

"Why don't we go watch a movie?"

Everyone but Aiko and Hideo agreed.

"Are you coming?" Takeshi raised an eyebrow at the two still standing in the places.

Aiko shook her head, "I don't feel like watching a movie… You guys go ahead!" She gave a fake smile and motioned for them to go on.

"Oh, okay! I'll see you at home then!"

This left Aiko and Hideo alone.

"Wanna take a walk?" Aiko asked.

Hideo nodded.

They walked in a comfortable silence until they reached the park. Aiko found a bench and sat down, watching the pond a few yards away. Hideo sat down next to her and watched the water as well.

"Aiko…"

"Hm?"

"I have something to tell you."

Aiko's ears perked up and she looked over to her companion. "Yes?"

"I'm going blind…" Hideo whispered.

Aiko almost couldn't hear him. She let him continue.

"My father went to Tsunade, looking for something that might be able to help stop it but… There was nothing she could do when it came to that. Instead, she told him that once I was completely blind, there was a way I could see."

"How?"

"Someone has to share their eyes with me… Tsunade would put a seal on me and the other person saying that whenever we're together, I could see but when we're apart, I'll be blind again but the other person would be as well." Hideo sounded sad. He didn't want to take away someone else's sight for his own gain.

Aiko immediately thought about what to do. "I'll do it!"

Hideo looked up at her almost shocked. "W-what?"

"I said I'll do it! If you want me to…"

"Why?"

"You're my best friend, Hideo and I love you more than anything. You've done so much for me and it's the least I could do for you."

"Thank you, Aiko." Hideo inched closer and kissed her on the cheek, "That means a lot to me."

Aiko blushed and smiled at him.

They sat considerably closer and stayed silent until it got dark.

When Aiko got home, Takeshi was still not there. Sakura was in the kitchen making dinner.

"Hello, Aiko!"

"Hi, Mama."

"How was the mission?"

"It was okay…" Aiko said sitting at the table still thinking about the event with the Hyuuga boy.

Sakura set down whatever cooking utensil she was using and sat across from her daughter.

"What do you think of him?"

She meant her father. Aiko smiled.

"I like him! But…"

"But?"

"He and Sasuke-Sensei got into an argument while we were there…"

"Tell me about it?" Sakura was not going to push if Aiko didn't want to.

Aiko decided to tell her everything and Sakura furrowed her eyebrows when she was done.

"What did he mean by that?"

"Sasuke would have considered me a traitor like himself and killed me if he found out I was pregnant with someone else's children."

"Oh…"

"How was your night? I saw you and Hideo walking together." Sakura winked at Aiko.

Aiko blushed.

"We were taking a walk together… Um… There's something I must tell you though."

"Hm?"

Aiko hesitated and played with her fingers.

"H-He's going blind… And… I'm going to share my sight with him when he's fully blind."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "That's a big decision, Aiko."

"I know but I want to because I love him. Hideo-kun means the world to me and I couldn't bear to see him so helpless…" Aiko was staring down at the table.

Sakura smiled. "That's good!"

"Tsunade said that we have to be together all the time or else we'll both be blind…"

Sakura nodded, "I understand and I'm proud of you!"

"Thank you…"

Takeshi came home, slamming the door behind him. Aiko jumped at the sudden noise but didn't show it. Sakura got up from her seat to follow him because the next thing they heard was his door slamming and the crashing of several things onto the floor

Sakura went to the doorway and watched her son.

"Takeshi, Are you alright?"

Takeshi stopped at the front door, gripping the door knob.

"I'll be home later…"

Sakura recognized that tone… He just had his heart broken…

Takeshi jumped from roof to roof until he got to Team Three's regular training ground. He had an extremely bad violence problem. Whenever he was upset or hurt or angry, he took it out on something but never someone…

He took out a pair of worn out, beat up gloves; his mom gave to him when he graduated from the academy. They focused his chakra into his hands. Tsunade had given them to Sakura for healing and combat but Sakura had a newer pair now. Takeshi slid them on and let all of his anger out on the tree in front of him.

Thoughts about Ichiko and that civilian ran through his mind over and over. It pissed him off so much it hurt! They kissed. They kissed!

Takeshi blew a hole through the tree.

All of those times he protected her and built her up; only for the feelings not to be returned.

Takeshi punched the tree again and a sea of leaves flew around him. His knees hit the ground as he gasped for air.

"T-Takeshi," He barely heard the small voice under his throbbing head and yelling at himself. It was Ichiko.

Her small, frail form approached him and he froze in place. He couldn't move… She fell to her knees in front of him and stared into his eyes.

Almost all of the negative feeling he still had were gone.

"What are you doing here?" She asked ripping her gaze from his to the tree.

"Who was he?"

Ichiko tilted her head in confusion. "Who was who?"

"Ichiko," there was poison, "I saw you." Takeshi stared at the ground. He suddenly had the urge to break it.

Ichiko raked her memory for any clue but then it hit her. Takeshi was a very jealous person…

"You mean the guy from the theatre that I hugged?"

Takeshi was silent.

"That was Riku Hyuuga. My cousin from the Hyuuga main branch. I haven't seen him in a few months!"

Takeshi's eyes widened. He felt so stupid! "Who… Do you… Like?"

Ichiko fell into a fit of giggles.

That hurt Takeshi's pride…

"Hey! What's so funny?"

Ichiko held back the laughter and gained her composure back.

"S-Sorry, I just thought… That I had made it obvious."

"Made what obvious?" Takeshi asked dumbfounded. She looked so adorable when she smiled.

She poked him in the forehead where his forehead protector was supposed to be and said, "That I like you, silly." She giggled again and left Takeshi confused.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Takeshi's anger was stolen away by happiness. He pushed his head forward and kissed her on the lips. Ichiko was caught by surprise but kissed him back.


	10. Found

Three Months Later

Sakura sighed. Tonight was the festival and everyone was going to be there. Her kids even had dates! She- as always- was alone, riding solo.

"Aiko, could you come here for a moment?" Sakura called from her bedroom.

Aiko came in a few seconds later, already dressed in her kimono. "Yes, mother?"

"Could you help me tie this please?"

"Of course!"

Sakura's kimono was red with white accents and pink cherry blossoms. She looked stunning!

Aiko had on a green kimono with blood red accents that matched her hair.

"You look beautiful, Aiko-chan…"

"You too, Mama!"

Their conversation was cut short when someone knocked on the door. Takeshi had already left to pick up Ichiko.

Aiko met Hideo on the other side of the door. She smiled brightly at him. He had already gone blind but Tsunade hadn't put the seal on them yet. At the moment, he was using his byakugan to see.

"Hey, Hideo-kun!"

"Aiko, you look beautiful."

This got him a quick kiss before he deactivated his Byakugan. Aiko took his hand and led him into the house.

"I'll be back in a second."

He nodded and felt her chakra fade into another room.

Aiko poked her head in the door and said, "I'll see you later, mother!"

"Okay, Aiko-chan! Be careful! I'll see you in a little bit!"

With that, Aiko was gone…

Sakura sighed again and stared in the mirror. There was reason she never went to these festivals and that reason would be there tonight. But still, she promised everyone she would go and enjoy herself…

The smell of perfumes and colognes fill the air and made Sakura slightly nauseous.

The festival was crawling with villagers from a number of villages. Naruto and the others were most likely at Ichiraku's waiting for her to join them so she made a beeline for it.

She spotted Aiko and Hideo, hand in hand, talking to… Sakura squinted her eyes… Gaara? Sakura's heart dropped. Instead of stopping dead in her tracks, Sakura walked faster.

"Hey Sakura-chan!"

"Hey you guys!"

Even her friends had dates! Of course all of them were married… Lee and a civilian she didn't know, Naruto and Hinata, Neji and Tenten, Kiba and another civilian she didn't know, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru had moved to Suna and married Temari and they were somewhere, even Ino was married now! She and Deidara got married a month ago… That only left her and Sasuke… But Sasuke made himself scarce on festivals like she did. Oddly enough though, he was there too.

Sakura made eye contact with him and he smirked.

"How are you, Sasuke?" she asked standing beside him.

"Hn, nauseous."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"It's sad how much cheap perfume one could put on."

Sasuke didn't reply. His eyes shifted from her to past her. It made Sakura feel a little uneasy.

"Sakura." There it was… That husky voice again…

He was right behind her… So close that it sent shivers up her spine. She felt sand particles run up her arm.

She turned to him, finally getting the courage to do so… His eyes were as empty as hers but they held something for her and only her…

"You're here…" Sakura held back any and all emotion she could. It wasn't working too well.

He was taller, his shoulders were broader and he was more muscle. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and the same black rings around them.

"Stop hiding… I've been looking for you…" It sounded almost like an order and yet, his voice was soft, almost begging.

Sakura smiled a little, "I was never hiding…"

Gaara pulled her closer to him and hugged her. "Come back to Suna with me… Please."

She turned her head to Sasuke who smiled at her acceptingly.

Sakura nodded.

"Aiko and Takeshi want to stay here."

"I know. I spoke to them both on the way here." Gaara pushed a stray hair behind her ear and stared into her eyes lovingly for the first time.

Sakura couldn't hold the tears back anymore… She let them go in front of everyone. But everyone knew how heartbroken she was when Gaara didn't come for her too.

Gaara quickly hugged her against his chest. He exchanged glances with Naruto and he gave Gaara a thumbs-up. With that, Gaara whisked Sakura away with his sand.


End file.
